Jul 24 Harukiya | 春木屋 荻窪本店

Style: Tokyo-style ShoyuBowl to Crush: Chuka Soba | 中華そば

Harukiya is one of Tokyo's longest standing serious ramen shops. Harukiya Honten began in 1931 as a simple soba shop. Shortly after World War II, the original master Itsuo Imamura re-launched Harukiya as a ramen shop. It has been open for business in the same location since 1949. Today, the shop is owned and operated by the founding master’s son, Kouichi Imamura. Throughout the generational handover Harukiya has continued serving classic Tokyo-style chuka soba, chashumen and wontonmen.

Although their cooking technique tends to be less cutting-edge than many of the new wave ramen shop innovators, we usually hold these decades-old Tokyo shops in very high regard. Knowing they are the roots of Japanese ramen culture, you can't help but marvel at your meal. And if the recipe hasn’t changed for decades, there’s probably a very good reason for that.

Harukiya’s soup is shoyu-based and contains niboshi (it was one of the very first shops to use dried baby sardines as a ramen ingredient); the noodles come slightly curly, and “are kneaded by hand every morning while taking into account the day's weather and humidity,” according to the shop's own description. Like many old-school bowls, this one comes piping hot thanks to a generous layer of chicken oil floating on the surface.

At 850 yen, this is one of the pricier bowls of simple shoyu in town. But given its deep heritage, Harukiya can charge whatever it wants and the customers will keep coming. Many older cats will tell you that Harukiya is their favorite ramen spot in the entire city — a highly nostalgic bowl for lifetime Tokyoites.